CASE STUDY / EF Ferris wheel
A new building meant EF also needed to build community. That’s what ferris wheels were made for.
When I took the lead to build EF’s brand awareness in Boston, the mission was clear. EF was investing in a new North American Headquarters and needed to positively influence the local community and become an employer of choice for top talent. But EF always liked to do things differently. And I saw an opportunity to do something big. For less than the price of yawn-inspiring outdoor advertising, we could do something special. We could create an experience that showed off the best of what EF had to offer.
THE APPROACH
Awe meets Opportunity
To ensure the success of the construction project, EF needed to build relationships with and awareness among the government, the local community, and prospective employees. And it needed to be done fast, on a shoestring budget. By leveraging our strongest assets—our enviable location and our incredible people—through the EF Ferris Wheel I was able to help EF tap into a powerful branding emotion. Genuine awe.
“Some lunatic thought it would be a good idea to put up a Ferris wheel in North Point, Cambridge for a night (thank God for lunatics).”
THE process
The Scrappiest of Scrappy
Once we secured the Ferris wheel (due to the unstoppable Shawna Marino), we had to build awareness of what was to come. Since we spent our budget on the wheel itself, I had to get creative about promoting it. We went grassroots, putting posters up locally at every coffee shop we could find, tweeting at local companies to come have their meetings on the Ferris wheel, and letting local media know what was happening.
THE WORK
Boston from the Sky
The execution of the event relied on awe and branding simplicity. The awe was easy—we had the nation’s second-largest Ferris wheel and a spot in the most unmissable location in the Greater Boston area. The simplicity was delivered by repetitive use of iconic EF pink and the stickers we plastered on everyone who went for a free ride; “I Saw Boston From The Sky.”
My favorite story? We couldn’t convince any food trucks to come. So we gave away free hot dogs at the last minute. By the time swarms of people started showing up, so did the food trucks. A bit sheepish, but happy to go where the crowds did.
The Team // Amy Van Aarle, Shawna Marino, Adam Bickelman, Greg Cooper (Photography), and countless EF staff who helped bring the EF Ferris Wheel to life
THE SHIFT
Boston’s Best Kept Secret No more
Before the EF Ferris Wheel, people used to joke that EF was the best kept secret in Boston. After? Not so much. The energy and excitement we generated around the building snowballed, one event leading to the other. A flywheel of surprising experiences, postive word of mouth, and unmistakeable brand recognition helped lead to EF being named Boston’s Top Place to Work by the Boston Globe on it’s first entry to the list.
5,000
People rode the EF Ferris Wheel over two days
10
Broadcast segments with a viewership f 420,000
466%
Increase in Glassdoor profile views
114%
Increase in monthly traffic sessions from Massachusetts